page_title: Graham Condon
section_title: Biography
hierarchical_section_title: Graham Condon / Biography
caption_attribution_description: English: Christchurch in September 2015
context_page_description: Graham Thomas Condon QSM JP was a disabled athlete who won seven medals for New Zealand competing in Paralympic swimming and athletic events and a total of 36 medals in international competition overall. He was also a local-body politician and a disability advocate.
context_section_description: Condon was rendered a paraplegic after contracting childhood polio.  Condon was the only New Zealander to take part in six consecutive Paralympics. He competed in the Paralympics in athletics and swimming at both the 1968 Tel Aviv and 1972 Heidelberg Games, and won a gold medal in the Men's Discus 3 event at the latter competition. He participated in the 1976 Toronto Paralympics and won a gold medal in the Men's Discus 2 event and a silver medal in the Men's Slalom 2 event at the 1980 Arnhem Games; he also participated in swimming at the 1980 games. At the 1984 New York/Stoke Mandeville Games, he won two bronze medals in the Men's Marathon 2 and Men's Slalom 2 events. During the Marathon, he was with a bloc of competitors from Australia, America, and Canada when he hit a pothole around the 20-kilometre (12 mi) mark, causing the competitor behind him, Robert McIntyre, to lose his balance and flip upside down.  Condon helped McIntyre back into position and ended up coming third. His final Paralympics were the 1988 Seoul Games, where he won a silver medal in the Men's Slalom 2 event. He won a total of seven Paralympic medals and 36 medals in international competitions throughout his career.
  He was one of the founding members of Parafed Canterbury, which strives to boost sport and recreational involvement among the disabled. He was also a board member of the national sports agency SPARC for five years. Condon was elected as a Christchurch city councillor in 1995 and served four terms as a city councillor. He was standing for re-election for the Shirley-Papanui ward in the October 2007 election.
caption: Plaque commemorating the redevelopment of Cathedral Square in 1998/99, with Condon listed as one of the councillors
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